


disintegrate.

by dragongabi



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: AU: caleb's disintegrate reflects off vokodo and hit jester, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Happy Ending, Resurrection, angst follows, everyone is sad, might be rated M later lets see, surprise guests: vox machina, the mighty nein - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragongabi/pseuds/dragongabi
Summary: Caleb is uselessly, stupidly in love with Jester, and he thinks things truly can't get any worse. Then, he kills her.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	disintegrate.

Caleb is a terrible man.

To him, this is a fact of life. The sun rises every morning and sets every night, Exandria is round, and Caleb is an awful, wicked person. His sins far outweigh his virtues, no matter what he tries, and perhaps one of his greatest faults is the fact that he can't quite stop thinking about her.

It's useless, really. She is young and smart and funny and beautiful and a vision of goodness and- just, really beyond him. He can't imagine she would ever allow him to sully her with his soot-stained fingers. But still- sometimes he- well, he can't really help himself- he thinks about her. He really, really shouldn't- it does him no favors and he knows she would be repulsed- but he does it anyways. He is, after all, an evil man.

He finds his eyes catching on her, and when he sees her laughing among their family something in his chest unwinds. He imagines her turning that smile to him, tilting her chin up and pressing her lips to his. His heart knocks in his chest - the thought of her _wanting_ him the way he wants her - it’ll never happen, but the thought of it makes him redden anyways.

Caleb can't help but find her distracting. But, he does his best to focus on other things: on reading, on studying, and on protecting his family. Still, as best he tries not to, the frequency with which he thinks about Jester is borderline obscene.

He thinks he loves her so much it might kill him. And then, he kills her.

* * *

He doesn't think when he does it - he thinks about everything he's ever done but he sees it terrorizing his family and his hands move, magic leaving his body in a hot rush and he realizes what he's done a second too late - the green ray streaks towards Vokodo's reflective shell and his eyes lock with Jester's when it hits her.

And oh, oh, Caleb has done many terrible things in his life, but he doesn't think anything has ever felt as soul crushing as watching Jester burn to ash - her face having just enough time to twist into an expression of pain before she disintegrates.

For a moment, the world tilts on its axis. His eyes stare at the dust that spreads in the water - her magic items floating serenely. He distantly hears Beau's cry of "NO!" as she charges to where Jester fell, her hands swiping at the grains of dust in the water, trying to grab any of Jester to hold on to. Caleb sees, in his peripheral vision, Fjord charges forward and sinks his sword deep in the monster's eye. His family makes quick work of Vokodo, and they quickly circle around where Jester disintegrated. Caleb stays still.

Veth swims towards Caduceus, grabbing his hand and tugging on it, pulling their Cleric towards where Jester was a moment ago. She looks at him hopefully, and asks, "Caduceus, can you bring her back?"

Caduceus's eyebrows twist up, eyes bouncing between Veth and Jester’s floating items. "No- I- I can't. Her body is... gone. Maybe if I had some ash but-"

Beau's sob cuts him off, staring at her empty palms. Any ash she grabbed had dissolved instantly in her hands. As Caleb watches the scene unfolding in front of him, he feels like his mind is floating away from his body. He disintegrated her. They can’t revive her because he disintegrated her. She- she might be dead forever and it’s all because _he didn’t think_. Caleb thinks he might throw up.

Veth turns to the druid floating a few feet away from their circle. "What about you?" Her voice cracks. "Can you bring her back?"

Vilya shakes her head, eyes sad. "I- Maybe I could learn, after a few years of training... But no. Not yet."

"A few years? I- We can't just-" Veth's shoulders droop, and she turns to Yasha behind her, pressing her face into the larger woman's side. Yasha smooths her fingers through Veth's hair.

Caleb stays still.

After a pause, Fjord speaks up. "Well then: if Vilya could learn someday, that means it's possible. And if it's possible, someone out there will do it for money." He points to the pile of riches atop Vokodo's corpse. "And we have enough money. So let's just get this stuff off this island with us, and we can pay someone to get her back. Sounds good?" His voice climbs louder as he talks, sounding clear even through the water.

The Mighty Nein nod in unison, emboldened by the plan and the assurance that they can bring Jester back.

Caleb doesn't nod. He can't move. He can't breathe, he can't see, he can't-

Veth's voice cuts through. "Caleb. We have to get moving and figure out a way to take this stuff with us and get out before boiling alive." He realizes that the water is hot - its past uncomfortable, but he hadn't even felt it. 

The pressure of a time limit pushes him into action, swimming forward even as he has said nothing since casting his spell. He pulls amber from his pocket, surrounding Vokodo's corpse and Jester's magical items with five pieces in a loose circle. His body goes through the motions of casting _Widogast's Vault of Amber_ while his mind replays Jester disintegrating in front of him on repeat.

For the next hour, it feels like someone else is piloting him. The Mighty Nein store Vokodo's riches, swim back to the surface, fight a sea serpent, and are transported back to Vo. Caleb doesn't speak once, feeling only the slightest relief when he polymorphs into a shark. For a short minute, he is incapable of feeling the level of despair he is currently struggling under.

In Vo, the villagers are tense with the memories restored to them. Vilya does her best to smooth tensions for now, and The Mighty Nein plans their next steps.

Fjord speaks first. "Okay, well. Vilya's going to deal with the villagers. All we need to focus on is getting off this island to somewhere with a powerful enough caster that can resurrect Jester. Any ideas?"

Veth suggests going to Yussa, and Yasha reminds them of their powerful allies in Rosohna as well. They have been deliberating for less than a minute when Caleb, who had been silently standing on the edge of their group and staring at the treeline speaks for the first time since he disintegrated Jester Lavorre.

"What about TravelerCon?"

The group falls silent, and they follow his gaze to three new people standing at the edge of the village.

"Shit," says Beau.

"Fuck," says Veth. She moves urgently, pulling a green robe out of her pack and pulling it on. “Goddamn. Why did _I_ become the third in command for this cult? What am I doing?” Even with her muttering, she is moving towards the new group in moments. “Greetings, dear followers. Welcome to our gathering. Allow me to guide you to your lodgings…” She walks off, and Caleb is left with the rest of the Mighty Nein. 

After a few moments of silence, Beau asks: “So… Speaking of the Traveler… Where is he? Like, wouldn’t you expect him to show up when Jester died?”

Fjord frowns. “That’s actually… a good question.”

Beau rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I ask those sometimes.”

“Maybe we could… try to contact him?” Yasha suggests. “Maybe he doesn’t know?”

“How could he not know?” Fjord shoots back. “He’s her god! He probably felt her cross into the afterlife or something.”

Yasha pauses. “So… Does he just not care?”

At this, the group goes quiet for a while, before Caduceus speaks: “I don’t think he simply doesn’t care. I also doubt he doesn’t know… Maybe he’s busy dealing with his other followers? Or, he knows we have a plan to get her back and he’s just leaving it to us?” He frowns pensively. “No matter his motivations, I don’t think any of us are capable of contacting him, so we should just keep moving forward with our plan to resurrect Jester until something changes. We can leave worrying about TravelerCon to the Traveler.”

Fjord nods. “That’s a good idea. None of this matters if Jester’s dead, anyway.”

Beau hums in agreement. “Let’s check in with Vilya and think about where we are going first. Without Jester, we can’t use _Sending_ , so the quickest way to ask around about who can resurrect someone without a body will be teleporting to our allies.” She turns to Caleb. “When can you teleport us next?”

It’s the first time most of his family has looked at him directly since he killed their cleric. Since he killed _Jester_. It takes him a few seconds to get past the feeling of his words sticking in his throat, but he responds: “I can’t-” His voice cracks, “Uh, I can’t today. Tomorrow, I can take us to Yussa, though.”

Beau nods. “Sounds good. We have one day to deal with business on this island. For now, I’m going to check in with Vilya.”

“I’ll join you,” says Yasha, and they both head towards where Vilya is speaking softly with a cluster of villagers.

Fjord turns to Caduceus. “Let’s go see how Veth is doing with the newcomers?” 

Nodding, Caduceus starts to follow Fjord. He pauses next to Caleb, turning to him and pressing a friendly hand to his shoulder. “This wasn’t your fault, you know. Don’t beat yourself up about it. We will find a way to bring her back, and everything will be alright.”

Caleb almost bursts into tears on the spot. He gives Caduceus a shaky nod, and he feels like he is frowning so hard it’s obvious that’s the only thing stopping him from crying. Caduceus smiles sympathetically, patting Caleb’s shoulder once more before hurrying after Fjord.

Caleb is left alone in the middle of the village. 

In all honesty, Caleb has very little idea what happened for the rest of the day. He vaguely recalls watching the Mighty Nein checking in with the villagers and Vilya, making plans to get everyone home and setting everything up so those who arrive for TravelerCon aren’t completely lost. He knows he should help, he is already to blame for what happened and he shouldn’t leave the burden of dealing with everything on his family, but he simply can’t force his muscles to move.

So, he stands there for hours. Watching the movement in the village and hardly noticing the worried looks the Mighty Nein keep sending him. Instead, he is caught up in his own thoughts. Thoughts of Jester: smiling, happy, _alive._ Thoughts of Jester: face twisted in pain, beautiful blue skin dissolving into ash, _dead because of him._  
The best person he has ever known, and he killed her. She’s the woman he loves, and _he killed her._ He can’t think of anything else. Why didn’t he realize what he was doing? Caleb is supposed to be the smart one. The one who thinks through his actions. And the _one time_ he didn’t--

The guilt is too much to bear, really. And so he stands, unmoving, unblinking, unfeeling. That evening, as the sun starts to dip below the treeline, Veth returns to him after getting the new arrivals settled. She grabs his hand with hers, tiny and warm against his frozen skin, and pulls him towards one of the empty rooms. He lets her move him without resistance, and they enter the suite, dark and quiet.

Veth lets go of his hand, lighting a few lanterns and moving to heat water. “Get undressed. You need a warm bath, you’ve been standing outside for hours. You didn’t even change into dry clothes.”

Caleb moves to feel the front of his shirt. The fabric is mostly dry, but cold and stiff. He hadn’t even thought about changing. Now, he slowly moves to take off his shoes, his wet socks. Veth leaves the room to start filling the bathtub and he strips out of the rest of his clothes, shivering a little in the cool air. She comes back after a few minutes and grabs his hand, guiding him towards the bathtub.

Even once he is settled, water covering all of him except his head and knees, Veth doesn’t leave him. She kneels gently, settling down next to the bathtub and staring at him with a gentle expression on her face.

“How are you?” Veth’s question is one he wishes he had a better answer for. _Soul-crushingly terrible_ is probably not the answer she’s looking for.

“‘m fine,” he mumbles, sinking further into the water so it covers his mouth. He doesn’t want her to see his frown.

She exhales, shoulders drooping. “Caleb, I know you’re not okay. I’m not okay either. No one is, right now.”

He nods, face still half submerged. No one is okay because Jester is dead. He doesn’t need to be reminded. 

Veth keeps speaking, moving to squirt some shampoo directly on the sad mop of his hair that is sticking out of the water. “No one blames you, Caleb. Things happen during battle. And we will get Jester back soon, anyway.” Her fingers massage into his hair, and Caleb feels himself relax despite himself. “We freed this island by fighting Vokodo. It’s easy to regret everything that happened, but we did good for these people. I hope you remember that.”

She dips his head back into the water to rinse his hair and Caleb shuts his eyes tight, gathering the courage to speak. “I killed her.”

Veth is shaking her head, mouth opening to cut him off, but Caleb holds up his hand. “Veth, I did. I knew Vokodo could reflect magic. I chose to hit him with a spell that could not only kill but disintegrate. And I did this when everyone there was so hurt all ready. It doesn’t-” His voice cracks. Veth is looking at him so, so sadly. “It doesn’t make sense. My memory is perfect. I don’t forget things and I don’t act rashly, but I shot a spell that turned Jester to ash from the inside out. There’s no excuse. I killed her.” 

Veth’s look is so pitying he can hardly handle it. Why does she feel bad for _him_? He’s a murderer!

Still, she’s quiet for a second, starting to comb conditioner through his hair with her fingers. “Caleb, we were all on the verge of passing out. Any one of us could have been killed. We knew that when we went in there. Jester knew that, too. Once we get her back, you’ll see she doesn’t blame you. Any one of our spells could have reflected and hurt someone.”

Caleb feels like crying. “Then why didn't it hit _me?_ Why did it have to be her?”

His pleading expression meets gentle, sad eyes. Veth sighs a little, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know, Caleb. I don’t even know if there’s a reason. But I promise we will bring her back. Everything will be okay soon, you’ll see.”

Caleb doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t really believe her. Some part of him won’t believe Jester will return until she is standing in front of him. But, he doesn’t want to argue with Veth about this, so he sits quietly while she rinses out his hair and presses a bar of soap into his hand. “Take your time, finish up your bath and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we go to Yussa.” Veth smiles warmly at him, and presses a kiss into his hairline before leaving the room.

Going through the motions of cleaning himself and getting dressed makes him feel a little better, if only because he is in dry clothes for this first time since before fighting Vokodo. After, Caleb doesn’t have the energy to do much more than crawl into his temporary bed and shut his eyes. His exhaustion helps him fall asleep quickly, sparing him from replaying his memory of Jester’s death in his mind all night.

* * *

When Caleb wakes up, blinking his eyes open against the early morning light streaming into his room, he forgets Jester is dead. It is just for an instant, but by the time he gets his bearings and remembers the events of the day before, reality comes crashing down. He feels a squeezing sensation in his chest, so tight he can’t breathe, and for a moment Caleb considers never leaving the bed he is in. If he never gets up, he will never have to face the world. And if he never faces the world, he can pretend Jester is still in it.

But, if he never wakes up, he also can't help the Mighty Nein bring Jester back. Even if he isn’t sure if it can happen, Caleb knows he has to _try_. Doing otherwise would feel like killing her all over again.

And so, he gets up.

When he leaves his room, Caleb immediately spots the other members of the Might Nein in the center of the village, getting ready to leave. His family looks like Caleb feels: weary, sad, overtired. Yasha has dark circles under her eyes, made even more visible by her pale skin. Beau’s shoulders are hunched while she walks in a way Caleb has never seen, and a wave of guilt hits him again. He’s the reason his family is going through this; the reason they are so heartbroken. It’s no one's fault but his. 

“Good morning, Caleb.” Vilya’s voice comes from behind him, making him jump. “Are you all heading out soon?”

He turns to greet her. “Good morning, Vilya.” His training in etiquette stops him from mentioning how absolutely _not_ a good morning this is. “Ja, it seems so. I think everyone is eager to get moving.”

Caduceus notices them, at that point. He raises his hand in a friendly gesture and gestures for the two of them to join the group. As they approach, Cad smiles and addresses them. “Mister Caleb, Miss Vilya. Good morning to you both. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you, Caduceus.” Vilya responds. “And all of you?” 

Veth and Caduceus nod politely. Beau shrugs. Yasha doesn’t respond, dark circles prominent as she avoids Vilya’s gaze. Fjord’s eyes bounce between everyone, and after the group’s replies he sighs softly. “You know, Vilya, it was not my best night. But that’s to be expected.”

She hums in understanding. “Yes, of course.”

“And you, mister Caleb?” Caduceus speaks again. “Do you feel rested enough to bring us all to Nicodranas?”

“Ja, I slept well enough. I can take us now, if we are all ready.”

“I believe we are.” Caduceus turns to Vilya, again, and smiles warmly at her. “And what about you? What is your plan, now that you’ve got your memories?”

“First, I am going to help everyone get home.” Vilya’s eyes shine brightly. “Then, I am going to find my daughter.”

Fjord and Caduceus exchange glances. “Sounds like a mighty fine plan to me,” says Caduceus, and Fjord nods.

“If you ever need any help,” Fjord begins, but Vilya shakes her head and cuts him off.

“You all have helped me more than enough. It should be me saying those words to you.” She looks at each of the Mighty Nein, skin wrinkling in the corners of her eyes as she smiles. “You have made an ally for life, Mighty Nein. I wish you the best on your journey, and I wish you luck in resurrecting your friend.”

Veth jumps forward, hugging Vilya around the waist. “Once she is alive, we will send you a message. _Jester_ will send you a message. Until then, goodbye!” On that note, Caleb begins to cast _Teleport_.

“Goodbye, Mighty Nein!” Vilya’s words are the last thing Caleb hears before the swirling sensation of teleportation magic rises around him. In a blur, the Mighty Nein arrive in Nicodranas.

The _crack_ of bright magic fizzes away, leaving only the teleportation circle below their feet glowing a dull blue. As always, it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark, cool interior of Yussa’s emerald stone tower. Caleb hears the sound of hurried footsteps, and after less than a minute there is a sharp knock against the door. “Hello?”

The door opens, revealing a sharply dressed Wensforth. The light from the hallway illuminates the Mighty Nein. “Oh, it's you all. Figured as much,” he says. “Need to be let out?”

“Actually,” Fjord speaks, “we were hoping to speak to Yussa.”

“Oh. Do you have an appointment?”

“No. It’s rather urgent.”

“I see. But not urgent enough for _Sending_?”

Caleb frowns, annoyed at the goblin’s tone. He doesn’t know why they couldn’t use _Sending_ , but the reminder still hurts. “Could you ask Yussa, please? Now?”

Wensforth’s surprised expression changes to annoyance after a brief second. His response is polite, but stiff and cold. “Of course, sir. Right away.” The door clatters shut behind him, leaving the party in darkness again.

No one speaks until Wensforth returns. “Follow me.”

The party follows Wensforth down the spiraling staircase a few floors, reaching a simple sitting room. Yussa is seated on one of the two small couches, lowering a cup of tea from his mouth to a small table in front of him.

“I hear that you arrived unannounced, again. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” 

Caleb feels the same spark of annoyance as he felt towards Wensforth. He thinks about blurting it out, _Jester is dead_ , just to see Yussa’s shame at his assumptions. 

Fjord speaks before Caleb can. “Our deepest apologies, Yussa. Unfortunately, none of us can cast _Sending_.”

Yussa’s sharp eyes bounce between the tired expressions on the faces of the Mighty Nein. “Yes. I see that your blue cleric is not with you. Where has Jester gone off to?”

Fjord rubs the back of his neck. “Well, you see. Jester is… dead.”

Surprise colors his features. “Oh. I- I am sorry to hear that. What happened?” He turns his eyes to Caduceus. “I thought- do you not also know resurrection magic?” 

Caduceus’s expression is tense as he answers. “That is part of why we are here, I am afraid. I am capable of resurrection… as long as there is part of a body. Unfortunately, Jester was disintegrated and her ashes were lost to the sea.” Caduceus frowns at the memory. “So, we are here to ask you if you would happen to know of any magic capable of bringing someone back without their body.”

Yussa thinks for a moment. “In my experience, the only ones with the power to revive a creature without any part of its body are incredibly powerful druids and clerics. Unfortunately, I do not know of any individual with this power. But, don’t you have allies in the Kryn Dynasty? Are they not capable of reincarnation?”

Caleb jumps in. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to our allies there, yet. As we mentioned, we are without _Sending_.”

Yussa hums, thinking for a moment, before calling out to Wensforth and whispering something to him. The goblin disappears and reappears after a few moments, a scroll in hand. “I’m surprised you don’t know _Sending_ ,” Yussa directs his comment to Caleb. “It is not a challenging spell for a wizard such as yourself. Luckily for you, I have an extra scroll you can study that will teach it to you.”

Caleb takes the scroll offered to him, excited at the prospect of learning something new. “Thank you, Yussa. I will study it as soon as possible.”

“Of course. That will take a few hours, however. In the meantime, we should consider other options. Do you remember Arcanist Allura Vysoren?” The party nods, and Yussa continues. “Allura is rather well-connected as far as Arcanists go, and so while I do not know of anyone capable of such resurrection magic, hers is the first name that comes to mind when considering who to ask.”

Fjord is nodding before he finishes. “Yes! What a wonderful idea. Could you call her here now?”

“Yes, I can try.” His hands move through the motions of a _Sending_ spell. “The Mighty Nein are at my tower. Their cleric Jester has died. Please teleport here as soon as possible.” He stares into the distance for a moment, hearing a reply the rest of them can’t. “She is caught up with some business, but sends her condolences. She will be here tonight. Perhaps we should adjourn and meet up again after sundown?”

The party exchanges glances. No one wants to wait an entire day more to continue their journey towards reviving Jester. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there are many options.

“That works for me,” Beau speaks up. “You guys?” Everyone nods. 

“Excellent,” says Yussa. “Wensforth! Take the Mighty Nein outside. We will reconvene when Arcanist Allura arrives.”

The goblin appears beside Caleb and does as requested of him. Outside the tower, the party breathes in the salty ocean air of Nicodranas. Veth chews her nails fretfully. “What do we do while we wait? Normally we stay at the Lavish Chateau, but I really don’t think we should talk to Marion until Jester is back-”

Caleb’s blood drains from his face. _Oh, god._ If Marion found out- the thought is too terrifying for Caleb to finish. Jester’s mother is a force to be reckoned with, and he does _not_ want her to ever know what he did to her daughter. Maybe it makes him evil, wanting to keep this from her, but he can’t imagine telling her. 

“We could wait on the beach?” Beau suggests. “I also don’t think we should go to Marion.”

“I agree,” Caleb croaks, heart rate slowing as it becomes more likely Marion won’t know. _Yet_ . “I need to study _Sending_ , so the beach works.”

The walk to the shore is a short one, and soon enough everyone is settling down in the sand. Caduceus spreads out a tea mat before settling down, pulling a kettle out of seemingly nowhere and offering a mug to Veth. Yasha and Beau settle down next to each other, close to the water, burying their toes in the wet sand and murmuring softly to one another. Caleb lays his coat down, far up the beach where the sand is bone dry and he is sure the tide won’t reach all day. He pulls out his ink and paper, and the scroll he is studying, and sets to work.

The day passes quickly. The sun reaches its peak and then begins to lower. During the hottest part of the day, Fjord and Beau dive into the water to cool off. Caleb keeps studying.

Even though they are at the beach, no one is particularly… happy. Everyone speaks quietly, or sits alone. Even when swimming, Fjord and Beau don’t laugh and splash each other like they might have before. No one wants to have too much fun while Jester is gone. Doing so would make them feel guilty, like they are forgetting too soon.

And so, without much to disturb him, Caleb learns the spell at lightning speed. The sun hangs low in the sky but has not yet begun to set when he tells everyone that he is ready. 

Hands going through the newly learned motions, Caleb casts _Sending_ on a piece of copper wire. “Essek, it’s Caleb. We are on the Nicodranas’s beach. Please come here, if possible. Jester is dead. We would like to ask for your assistance.”

After a beat, Essek replies. “Caleb! That- is terrible news. I am sorry for your loss. I will go there now.”

 _Oh._ “Uh, he says- he will come here now.”

“Oh, now?” Beau hasn’t even finished the question when a _crack_ of magic lights up the beach, about 100 yards north of them. “Okay, now.”

“Essek!” Calls Fjord, cupping his hands to his mouth. “Over here!”

He grabs Essek’s attention, and the wizard floats towards them. When he reaches them, Essek speaks somberly. “Mighty Nein. I am sorry for your loss. If you do not mind me asking, what happened? Do you not have resurrection magic?”

Fjord and Caduceus explain the situation quickly, as they did to Yussa. When they are done, Caleb speaks. “We know that the dynasty is well versed in reincarnation magic. We were wondering- is there any knowledge you can share with us? Some way to revive Jester without her body?”

Essek shakes his head. “Only only someone who has gone through consecution and died within range of a Beacon can be reborn. And even then, they will only regain their memories in adolescence, when their personality may have already developed to be quite different from the person you remember. Anyways, since Jester is already dead… I am afraid it is too late for that option.”

Caleb wants to scream. _So this was all a waste of time?_ Luckily, Yasha cuts in, giving him a moment to calm his emotions. “That’s a shame,” she says. “I guess we have to hope Allura knows something.”

Beau nods. “And if she doesn’t, we will figure something out.”

Essek watches the two of them sharply. “Oh, so it seems you all have a lead?”

“Maybe,” Fjord says. “We have a lead to a lead. We were waiting here till sundown to meet with them.”

As he says this, the sun dips lower into the sky, reds and oranges bleeding into a dark blue sky. Essek glances up, checking the sky. “Oh, it seems it's almost time. I don’t mean to keep you. I am sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“It is alright, Essek,” Veth soothes. “Thank you for coming all this way to speak with us.”

Caleb nods, echoing her sentiment. “We will contact you as soon as we have any news,” he offers.

“Yes, thank you. I will be on my way back now. Goodbye and good luck.” In another flash, Essek disappears, and the Mighty Nein starts their walk back to Yussa’s tower. Caleb tries not to think about the number of their leads dwindling. 

After a few minutes, they reach the tall emerald tower, and Beau knocks against the smooth emerald stone. As always, a doorway appears out of smooth stone, and Wensforth waves them inside. “Just in time. Allura has just arrived.”

“What luck,” comments Fjord. Wensforth leads them back into the small sitting room, where Allura and Yussa are sitting on opposite couches, facing each other. They both turn to face the party when they enter.

Allura speaks first. “Mighty Nein! Yussa was just explaining the details of your loss. I am so sorry to hear about what happened, Jester really was a true gem.”

Veth responds. “Yes, well. We don’t plan on her being dead long.”

Allura smiles tightly. “Yes, well. About your inquiry of resurrection without a body part: the magic to do something like this is very, very powerful. And very, very rare. And it will certainly be expensive. The material costs alone-”

Fjord cuts her off. “We’ll pay whatever. It doesn’t matter. If we can’t afford it we will work until we can. Do you know of someone who can do this?”

Allura hums thoughtfully. “Honestly, I am not sure. I’ve never seen a resurrection done without a body. But, I think I know who to ask.”

Caleb perks up at the first hint that _someone_ might even be able to _do this_. “You do? Who?”

“A group of… heroes, I guess. They have a few powerful casters. And if what Yussa told me is correct, this magic is more likely to be wielded by a cleric or a druid. Both of which this group has.”

“What’s this group called?” Caleb presses, urgently. Maybe it’s actually possible. Maybe he didn’t actually _kill her forever_ \--

“Vox Machina.” Allura answers, smiling lightly. “I can contact their cleric now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please comment, it encourages me to finish writing :)


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